Water-heater.



GQILSTARN.

WATER HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED 11110.1, 1909.

A homey Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

COLUMBIA FLANouRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, U c.

ran ESTATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. STARN, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 HANNAH M. DOVER, OF PAL-MYRA, NEW JERSEY.

WATER-HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Application filed December 1, 1909. Serial No. 530,862.

1'0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. STARN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Camden, in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VVater-Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention .relates to apparatus for quickly furnishing hot water, in which the water is heated by gas or other fluid fuel in its transit through the apparatus.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved water-heater of this character, efiicient and economical in operation, and simple and practicable in structure.

The invention will first be described with reference to the accompanying drawing and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a section taken vertically through an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 is a detail of the joint between the front wall of the casing and a water-tube.

1 denotes a casing provided at one wall. with an inlet chamber 2 and with an outlet chamber 3 disposed above the inlet chamher; and 4t and 5 denote respectively inlet and outlet pipes connected to the corresponding chambers. In the illustrated embodiment these chambers are separate structures suitably secured to the casing, being to the same effect as a single structure or header divided into two separate chambers by a suitable partition. These chambers are in fluid communication with each other by means of a series of approximately U- shaped water-tubes 6, the lower legs of which are connected, one above the other, with the inlet chamber, the upper legs be ing likewise connected with the outlet chamher, that is in substantially vertical alinement. The tubes thus form a series of Us nested one within the other and disposed in substantially the same vertical plane.

The joint, where the water-tubes 6 extend through the front wall of the casing opening into either the inlet or outlet chamber, is preferably as shown in Fig. 2 wherein a gasket 6 surrounding each tube is com pressed against it and the inner face of the wall of the casing by a nut 6 which is provided as at 8 with a screwed upon the threaded end of the pipe, a lock-nut 6 being also screwed upon the outer end of the tube and against the outer face of the front wall of the casing. The arched ends of the tubes 6 may be supported by a frame 7 and the vent opening.

The means illustrated for heating the water comprises a gas pipe 9 disposed beneath the lowermost water-tube leading out of the inlet chamber and provided with a plurality of jets or burners along its length, and a similar pipe 10 provided with a row of burners disposed beneath the lowermost water-tube leading into the outlet chamber. The inner ends of the upper and lower gas pipes may be supported in the frame 7; and both pipes outside of the casing may be provided with suitable air inlets as shown, the air inlet of the pipe 9 being indicated at 9, and that OI the pipe 10 at 10. The lower gas pipe is shown provided wit-l1 a valve 11, the operating handle 11 of which is connected by a rod 11 to the operating handle 5 of a valve 5 of the outlet pipe 5. With this arrangement, if the number of heat units be decreased by cutting off the supply of gas to the lower burners, the area of the outlet will be correspondingly decreased keeping the water a longer time in the heater.

In the operation of the heater, cold water admitted into the inlet chamber flows out through the lower legs of the tubes 6 and is subjected therein to a primary heating by the burners of the pipe 9; and in its passage to the outlet chamber through the upper legs of the tubes, the water is superheated, that is, it is subjected to a second heating by means of the burners of the pipe 10. It will thus be seen that a heater is provided in which the circulation of water is direct and continuous, flowing from the cold water inlet to the hot water outlet and. being superheated during such passage. Each tube 6 thus constitutes in itself a circulating sys-. tem which presents an extensive heating surface; and each tube is exposed separately and independently to the flames of one series of burners, the flames passing around the lowermost tube and ceeding tube, heating them all and utilizing casing is preferably each sucthe full heating power of the flame thus in suring the rapid and thorough heating of the water.

The heater is exceedingly simple in construction, has but few parts, none of which are of a character that could easily become defective or out of order.

It will be understood that a variation in the size, length or number of the watertubes would produce. heaters of different capacities.

It will be seen that instead of conducting the. water through a single pipe or pipes having a number of coils to increase the heating surface exposed to the burners, I distribute the water admitted from the supply pipe 4L into a multitude of tubes, thereby storing a large quantity of water between the cold water inlet pipe and the hot water outlet pipe; while the heating surface for the water flowing through the inlet pipe is increased in proportion to the number of tubes into which it is distributed. Again, by doubling the multiple of tubes and running the water to the hot water chamber over a second series of gas jets, the water is superheated as it flows through the many tubes. The storage chambers 2 and 3 regulate and control the pressure, and, there is stored in the system a certain quantity of what may be called dead water, greatly aiding the desired result of instantaneous heating, with a comparatively low consumption of gas, and the greater inflow compared with the outflow results in supplying the water with an added pressure which keeps the tubes under full pressure. The flow of the water through the individual tubes 6 is of course at a very low rate of speed as compared with the speed of the full volume of water flowing through the outlet, as the work of the assemblage of tubes is merely to keep the hotwater chamber full to supply the outlet pipe, and these tubes are under the same pressure as the cold water chamber. The slow feed of the water through the tubes means a substantial saving of gas in the heating.

I do not limit myself to erecting the heater in upright position, that is, with the second series of gas jets and pipe lengths above the first, except as may be stated in the following claims.

7 Having thus described my invention what I claim, is

1. A water-heater comprising a cold water chamber, a hot-water chamber, a multiple of independent pipes connecting said chambers, gas burners for heating said pipes, and a casing inclosing said burners and pipes, the cold water chamber having a cold water inlet and the hot water chamber having a hot water outlet that is restricted over the cold water inlet.

2. A water heater comprising an inlet chamber, an inlet pipe therefor, an outlet chamber, an outlet pipe therefrom, tubemeans connecting the two chambers to establish fluid communication between them, means for heating the tubes, the outlet being restricted over the inlet whereby the flow of water through the heater is retarded to facilitate its heating.

8. In a water heater, the combination of a water inlet chamber and a water outletchamber at a higher level, a plurality of water pipes connecting said chambers and arranged in a vertical tank of horizontally disposed pipes, and a row of gas-burners under said bank of water pipes, the flow from the outlet chamber being restricted as compared with the flow into the inlet chamber.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE E. STARN.

Witnesses HOWARD E. TRUAX, FRANK VoIcT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

